1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and particularly to an image forming apparatus which can prevent deterioration in accuracy in feeding a recording medium, without increasing the manufacturing cost.
2. Description of Related Art
An image forming apparatus typically includes a medium supply portion, and a feeder belt, between which is formed a supply path. A plurality of recording media is set in stack in the medium supply portion, and is supplied one by one into the supply path. The recording medium is then fed along the supply path to be passed onto the feeder belt, and thereafter carried on the feeder belt up to a position opposed to a recording portion including a recording head. While the recording medium is opposed to the recording head, the recording head ejects droplets of ink onto the recording medium in order to form a desired image on the recording medium.
JP-A-2002-249259 (see paragraph 0019 and FIG. 4) discloses an image forming apparatus including a supply path along which are arranged a pickup roller, a separator roller or a multiple supply preventer, and a skew eliminator or a guide member.
The pickup roller is rotated in contact with a topmost one of recording media or sheets stacked on a lift plate, in order to sequentially supply the recording media toward the multiple supply preventer. When the recording media are thus supplied by the pickup roller one by one, it is prevented, by the multiple supply preventer, that a plurality of the recording media are supplied at a time. Then, the supplied recording medium is passed onto a feeder belt with the position or orientation of the recording medium adjusted, or with skew of the recording medium eliminated, by the guide member.
By thus supplying the recording medium along the supply path, it is enabled to supply one by one the recording media stacked on the lift plate, while restricting the skew of each recording medium with respect to a supply direction in which the recording medium is supplied.
Once the recording medium is supplied onto the feeder belt, the multiple supply preventer and the guide member are separated away from the recording medium, by a lifting/lowering mechanism including a spring, a holding arm, and/or others. Thus, it is prevented that a tensile force in a direction opposite to the supply direction is generated by contact between the recording medium and each of the multiple supply preventer and the guide member, and such a tensile force acts on the recording medium. This in turn prevents deterioration in the accuracy of feeding of the recording medium.
However, the conventional arrangement disclosed in the above-mentioned publication requires the lifting/lowering mechanism including the spring, the holding arm, and/or others for preventing application of the tensile force in the direction opposite to the supply direction, to the recording medium. This increases the manufacturing cost.